"Honey, is it time yet?"
"Are you bored already, Erta?"
"Mmm, a little. And the bed is too stiff."
Caelum and Erta were currently waiting in a small room. Well, calling it a room was being generous, but it is what it is. The commander said he would call Gawain for them and had them wait here until he arrived.
Realising that it might take a while, Erta took a nap on the bed by the wall. As it was a little stiff, she used Caelum's lap as her pillow. Caelum did not really mind that it was taking a little long for Gawain to come so Erta could rest.
They had been traveling for over two days already with barely any time to relax since the environment kept them on guard even without much beasts and monsters attacking them. But now, Erta has had enough sleep and was getting bored. It was time to move.
"Well, it's been quite a few hours already. No wonder you're bored. Alright, come on. We're breaking out."
The two got up from the small bed and Caelum immediately released his black wing and destroyed the metal bars that confined them in the room. The sirens blared all around them as they left the cell. Caelum laughed as he watched the scrambling guards rush toward them in a hurry.
"They even have sirens? Next thing we know, they'd be mounting machineguns on the exits to keep us from leaving."
"I wish they'd change the cushion at least. It's like they're trying to kill their prisoners with back pain."
"Erta, you do know that these aren't hotel rooms, right?"
While the two were joking around, several soldiers in mediaeval armour came and tried to subdue them. Caelum could not help but laugh at how inconsistent they were even as he was knocking them unconscious with his tendrils and tentacles.
Focusing on the ridiculous incongruence of themes was the only thing he could do to keep himself from killing them. He was, after all, very much annoyed that they were imprisoned for no particular reason. Especially after they saved those damned soldiers from monsters.
"Cal, please put the poor men down. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're trying to do something disgusting to them."
"What the hell have you been learning from the internet?!"
"I wouldn't mind if you want to do that to me though."
"But I mind! That's it. I'm going to have to look through your browsing history once we get back."
"No, please don't! I was just joking!"
It was not just Caelum who was angry. Erta was too and was using the same trick to calm down. Although her humour was not very amusing to Caelum, they continued their comedy skit until they reached outside.
There they found entire squads of soldiers have gathered to stop them, but they could do absolutely nothing against Caelum. In the first place, they were barely holding on against the black hounds the day prior. So how could they fight back against the ones who slaughtered the beasts?
The commander of the battalion that Caelum and Erta had saved was among the ones to have gathered, and he was as pale as a ghost.
He was trembling so badly that they could not tell whether the clattering sound was coming from his teeth or his armour. Caelum approached him while deliberately wriggling his wings to scare them even more.
"Hey there, friend! Your old age must've gotten to you to have forgotten to drag that damned Gawain's ass down here. So why don't you just take us to see your idol, yeah?"
"Yes, I'll take you! I'll take you to him so please don't violate me!"
"Oh god, I can't believe my husband is molesting other men with his tentacles. I think I'll have nightmares about this."
"This is your fault, Erta!"
The commander, who was still trembling in fear, led them away from the prison. The other soldiers and guards could do nothing but follow to keep the citizens from encountering the two freaks of nature.
The people who saw them stayed away or called more soldiers. Of course, the soldiers were knocked unconscious all too easily. The commander brought them to the palace gates which immediately fell into chaos due to Caelum and Erta's hostage taking.
Before long, several knights with decently powerful auras arrived to confront them. But before any battle could begin, one of the knights took off his helmet and spoke in surprise.
"Caelum Grace?! How did you get here?"
"Oh look, if it isn't the hero, Sir Gawain! It sure is difficult to meet you, mister idol."
Kyle Langley, also known as Sir Gawain among the people in this dungeon, seemed really surprised at their appearance. The other knights looked at him in confusion, but did not lower their weapons.
"Gawain, do you know this man?"
"Yes, I do! Now put down your weapons unless you want all of us to be put down instead!"
At his words, the soldiers quickly complied and retreated a few steps back. The knights seemed more reluctant, but sensing the power behind the tendrils and tentacles protruding out of Caelum's back, they relented begrudgingly.
"Caelum, it's great to see you. You too, Miss Ki'ana. I was afraid I'd have to do everything by myself, but with you two here, it might not be impossible."
"Alright, slow down. You bastard, you had us waiting for you for six hours on top of all the time we spent searching for you. Aren't you even going to invite us in?"
"Ah, right. Follow me, this way. The rest of you can proceed with the meeting. We'll join you later."
Kyle led them to a large room full of luxury. It seemed to be his private quarters as there was even a large bed on the far side of the room. Caelum went ahead and sat on the sofa without waiting for Kyle's permission.
Erta lied down with her head on Caelum's lap almost as though it was where it was always meant to be. They were both annoyed at how Kyle was living so comfortably here while they had to walk all over the dungeon and were even imprisoned for hours.
"So how long have you been here, Kyle?"
"Um, a little over a week, I think. When did you get here?"
"We entered the dungeon immediately after you, but we only arrived in this dungeon over three days ago. We would've met you sooner if we weren't imprisoned by that stupid fan of yours."
"What fan?"
"The guy I took hostage."
"Ah… Sorry, I don't even know him."
"I figured as much. So, what were you talking about earlier?"
"Yes, that! I was talking about the conditions to clear this dungeon! I don't know what's going on with this particular dungeon, but it's very different from the ones we've been clearing before. This one makes you play a certain role and act out on the following events."
"And your role is Gawain?"
"Yeah! Awesome right?"
"Mhm, okay. This clear condition seems a little too vague. What are these following events that you mentioned?"
"Well, basically, Camelot is at war with two other forces. It's a three-way war actually. I think we can clear the dungeon by killing the leaders of these two other forces. They're probably the dungeon's boss monsters."
Caelum looked at Kyle suspiciously. He was strangely excited about all this despite knowing that they were in a dungeon that is unlike any dungeon before. Perhaps it was because he was finally playing the part of a well-known knight from the Arthurian legend.
Caelum could not understand or relate to him. In the end, he just asked the single question that has been on his mind from the beginning of their talk.
"You... you haven't forgotten why we entered this dungeon in the first place, have you? Have you found the other Chosen?"
"Of course, I have. I wouldn't even be thinking of a way to escape this dungeon if I haven't found the slightest trace of them. There are four currently in Camelot. One is among the enemy we call barbarians. And the other is with the other enemy we call wild fairies."
"And how are you so sure about that?"
"What are you talking about? Didn't the dungeon tell you of the roles we were given? Isn't that how you found me? By the way, what roles do you two have? I must've missed the dungeon's announcement when you entered."
"Okay, hold on. I don't think we're on the same page here. Explain it from the very beginning with all the details."
Realising that there was something wrong with their situation, Kyle explained in more detail the mechanics of the dungeon.
Apparently they were supposed to receive a role upon entering which determines where they would appear the moment they entered the dungeon. They also learn the roles of the other people who entered. However, none of these applied to Caelum and Erta.
"Maybe it's because we forced our way in?"
"But Honey, that implies that the dungeon chooses who can enter. I've never heard of a dungeon like that before."
"Well, you did say that Earth is abnormal. Kyle, gather the others. We need to talk about what to do from here on."
"Alright, I'll have them gathered soon. What are you going to do for now?"
"Sleep. I've been awake for three days now. We're borrowing your bed so you can go on out."
After chasing Kyle away, Caelum got some much needed rest with Erta in his arms.